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Eskom: Eskom educates North West community about using electricity safely

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Eskom: Eskom educates North West community about using electricity safely

Eskom: Eskom educates North West community about using electricity safely

28th June 2017

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/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Unsafe wiring resulting from illegal electricity connections is claiming lives in the North West, says Eskom.

Substandard and poorly insulated wiring, which is often the result of illegal electricity connections, meter tampering and bypassing, are responsible for deaths and serious injuries in North-West communities.

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North West Eskom General Manager, Azwimbavhi Mamanyuha, says that most of the injuries and deaths were a result of substandard wiring caused mainly by illegal connections. “In a majority of these incidents, the improper and illegal connections have dire consequences as they expose both adults and children to great risk,” he explains.

Khuma near Klerksdorp is one of the areas with a high prevalence of illegal connections in the province. The community has recently had incidents where two members of the public lost their lives after dangerous contact with electricity. In one of the cases, an eight year-old boy was electrocuted after touching a fence which was touching a live wire running from an illegal connection. The same fence had previously shocked the boy’s father, who fortunately survived.

In another incident, a 40 year-old man lost his life after being electrocuted while making contact with a washing line that was in contact with substandard open wiring.

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“People – in most cases innocent children – are often injured or die when they accidentally come into contact with live electrical wires from illegal connections,” says Alex Stramrood, Senior Occupational Health and Safety Manager at Eskom.

In an effort to educate communities on these dangers, Eskom will be conducting a public safety media tour in Khuma on 28 June 2017. This visit will be the first in a series of tours around the country, where Eskom officials will be raising awareness about using electricity safely. The aim is to educate the media and communities about some of the dangers associated with unsafe and improper use of electricity including illegal connections, cable theft, low-hanging conductors, meter tampering and by-passing.

Many South Africans get their electricity by following the correct channels, but others still endanger their lives by connecting illegally, which too often leads to deaths or serious injuries.

An illegal electricity connection is one that is made to the Eskom network, either at a mini sub-station, a neighbour’s meter or electricity board, or overhead line, without Eskom’s permission or by non-Eskom personnel. These connections are extremely dangerous because they are usually made with incorrect wiring, posing a danger to anyone who touches these unsafe wires.

“Safety is a major focus area at Eskom, and this extends to everyone including our employees, contractors, consumers and the general public. We encourage our communities to empower themselves with knowledge about electricity safety and to do whatever is necessary to eliminate any hazardous circumstances caused by improper and illegal connections.

This is rooted in our ‘Zero Harm’ pledge of ensuring that no one loses his or her life or is injured while using electricity, but in order to achieve this, we need assistance from our communities. Our visit to Khuma forms part of our commitment to working with communities towards a safer environment,” says Stramrood.

 

Issued by Eskom

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